Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket suffered a catastrophic explosion on its launch pad, destroying LC-36A and casting doubt on its ability to return to flight by year-end. This failure significantly impacts NASA's Artemis program schedule and disrupts commercial customers like Amazon's Project Leo who relied on the vehicle. Additionally, the incident raises concerns about the reliability of the BE-4 engines used by both New Glenn and ULA's Vulcan.
Background
The New Glenn rocket is a heavy-lift launch vehicle developed by Blue Origin, designed to compete with SpaceX's Falcon Heavy and support NASA's Artemis moon landing missions. Its primary engine, the BE-4, is also critical for United Launch Alliance's Vulcan Centaur rocket.
- Source
- Ars Technica
- Published
- Jun 27, 2026 at 12:24 AM
- Score
- 9.0 / 10